


Broken Bottles in the Hotel Lobby

by LowkeyScrupious



Category: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Angst, CC Compliant, Fifth Year, M/M, alternating pov, emotional scorpius, hurt albus, i don't know okay but this turned out way more angsty than i intended, i guess there's sort of a happy ending though even if things aren't actually resolved, it's scorbus but you wouldn't know it till the final scene, whoops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2019-08-05 08:52:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16364786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LowkeyScrupious/pseuds/LowkeyScrupious
Summary: The boys are facing all the struggles that OWL year brings. Albus is playing up, Scorpius is struggling from the aftermath of last year. And now this.





	1. Chapter 1

Albus ran a hand through his flustered hair as he turned the final corner of one of the numerous passageways leading from the Slytherin common room to the dormitories below. Every time he walked the familiar path to the dorm he thought how his family would probably find the small maze of underground corridors creepy, but on the contrary Albus found comfort in the quiet, cool space away from the rest of the world. He rarely passed other Slytherins because the dorms seemed to be quite spaced out under the lake, and the solitude this walk offered was a welcome relief before having to face the three other boys they had to share with. He realised he’d miss this walk when he left Hogwarts. He’d miss the way his footsteps echoed off the stone, he’d miss being able to lose himself if he just wanted to be alone outside the dorm. He’d miss the chill and the damp smell. It would probably be the _only_ part of the castle he would miss.

  
Too soon he reached the wooden door, and, sighing, pushed it open. He needn’t have worried however, for it was only Scorpius inside. He laughed at the sight of his best friend laying flat out on his back, eyes closed, some book splayed open on his chest.

  
“Ha! Are you okay Scorp?” he grinned, pulling off his tie and heading over to his own bed.

  
A groan was all he got in response. He waited a while for Scorpius to continue, but when he didn’t, Albus abandoned his pursuit of his favourite Slytherin hoodie, and sat down facing Scorpius. “What’s up?”

  
Scorpius opened his eyes, sighed, then closed them again, shaking his head. So this was something to do with Delphi, or that other world Scorpius had experienced where Albus didn’t exist. In the months that had passed since that whole escapade he and Scorpius hadn’t really had much success with talking about it. Albus knew his friend was suffering and needed to talk more, but whenever he’d tried to brooch the subject, Scorpius shut down and refused to talk, putting on an Oscar worthy performance of being ‘fine’, that only Albus was able to see through.

  
“Scorp, come on…”

  
“Eugh. Sorry, I just had a moment,” Scorpius said, sitting up and swallowing his emotions. Albus was here now, meltdown time was over.

  
But Albus could see through the façade immediately. He’d always been able to.

  
“Was it about last year?” Albus asked casually, but with unmistakable concern.

  
Scorpius just nodded. He collected himself, realizing he needed to put more effort in if he wanted to convince Albus.

  
“Yeah, but it’s fine now. You’re here!” he grinned, genuinely happy his best friend had returned. “How was Slughorn?”

  
Smiling in spite of himself, Albus placated his friend by telling him what the potions professor had wanted to talk to him about.

  
“He wants me to help out at Potions club.” Albus mimed retching where he sat cross legged on the bed.

  
Scorpius looked confused. “Why?”

  
“Well he said that since I’ve not always been getting the homework done on time I could make up for it by helping tutor the first and second years. You know, instead of him just giving me detention every week. Looks like I’m going to have to do it…”

  
Scorpius smiled that characteristic smile of his. “Wow, what a compliment!”

  
Albus grinned back, throwing his pillow at Scorpius. “I’m not sure that’s the point! But I _suppose_ you’re right, I _am_ practically a potions master,” he replied, heavy on the sarcasm.

  
Scorpius rolled his eyes. Even though Albus wouldn’t admit it, he was a genius at potions. He was happy for his best friend, and he was grateful to Slughorn for giving him a second chance. Albus’s academic work had been suffering since the whole Time Turner incident – he was rarely able to hand in homework on time and seemed to have ‘much less patience’ with the professors these days, earning him detention after detention. His parents had already been in talks with McGonagall. The teachers were already trying to go easy on him by not taking points from Slytherin for his self-destructive behaviour, something Scorpius was infinitely grateful for, correctly assuming that would only worsen the abuse they faced daily from the other Slytherins.

  
“Well, I think it’s great. Now you won’t be in constant detention I won’t have to spend every evening alone!”

  
At that Albus felt a pang of guilt. “Well,” he grinned sheepishly, “don’t get your hopes up! I think I’ll still be averaging… hmm… about twenty detentions a week?”

  
Now it was Scorpius’s turn to want to throw something at Albus. He was really starting to feel better after his brief mental breakdown earlier. It was just having Albus around, to distract him that he needed. _Too distract me, or to reassure me that he’s actually here, alive_? he thought to himself.

  
Albus had noticed Scorpius’s vacant expression. “Scorpius?” He leaned towards him, searching for eye contact.

  
Scorpius immediately provided. “Yeah, sorry…”

  
Albus sighed. He hated when Scorpius tried to protect him. “Scorp, please tell me what’s wrong.”

  
Scorpius really didn’t want to. What good would it do? Talking about it made it real, like it was a big deal. Which it wasn’t. But Albus was looking rather concerned, so Scorpius decided to meet him half way. “I don’t know… sometimes when I’m on my own, I just start to remember that other world where Voldemort ruled…” Scorpius hadn’t realized when, but he’d started to look at his sleeve instead of Albus. “… where you didn’t exist and everything was dark. It makes me feel like I’m back there, like I’m back to being an awful person… my dad and me just puppets of the Augurey… torturing people, doing whatever Dolores Umbridge asked me to.” Now he’d started, he wasn’t sure how to stop. His eyes were dry though, which he was grateful for. “But that wasn’t the worst part. The worst part was going through it all without you there. I didn’t know what had happened, what we’d changed… I didn’t even know if I could change it back… I just wanted you there to work things out with.” His voice had dropped to a whisper.

  
Albus understood. He saw what the experience had done to his best friend, he could understand how terrified Scorpius must have been. How brave he’d been to even be able to exist in that world, let alone try and figure out how to change it. He didn’t know what to say, how to comfort his friend.

  
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there,” he said.

  
Scorpius grinned, still picking at the sleeve of his robe. “Don’t be stupid.”

  
“Yeah. Well the whole thing was my _stupid_ idea.”

  
“The premise wasn’t so stupid. You know, trying to save Cedric.”

  
Albus hummed in agreement, and an awkward silence fell. He thought he hadn’t done much of a good job of comforting Scorpius. Why was he so bad at this?

  
“You’re back now. And there’s no way you could ever return there.” Scorpius still wasn’t looking at him. “Are you hearing me? What happened to Scorpius the Dreadless?”

  
That got a smile out of him.

  
“Yeah, I’ll find him again. But you know,” he replied, looking up at Albus, “that was before I was tortured half to death by my own cousin, who by the way, _is_ still in this world, languishing in Azkaban somewhere.”

  
Albus could see the pain in his friend’s face, but was glad they were having this conversation without it resulting in Scorpius having a nervous breakdown. Even though this was obviously painful for him, Scorpius’s tone was back to his light, normal self.

  
Sitting back a bit on his bed and chucking Scorpius a chocolate frog he waited a moment before answering. “But you said it yourself. She’s locked up. Far away from here. And she’s not getting out. Ever.”

  
“Yeah, I know. It’s just that whenever I think of her I feel like that other world could be real too. I know that’s stupid, and maybe it will just take time or something, but for now, that’s how I’m feeling.” Scorpius broke into the chocolate frog.

  
“Well, thanks for telling me,” Albus replied seriously. “Mum’s always saying it’s good to talk about stuff like this.”

  
Scorpius nodded. “I think my mum would’ve said the same thing.”

  
“Yeah, I think she would.”

  
Scorpius raised his eyes to meet Albus’s. Hearing that from his best friend… it was almost like Astoria was here, right now, speaking through Albus. He grinned, feeling the last of the after-effects of his earlier panic attack leaving his body.

  
“So, are you going to take Slughorn up on that offer?”

  
Standing up, Albus resumed his search for his hoodie. “Don’t think I really have a choice to be honest! Have you seen my Slytherin hoodie?”

  
Glancing over, he suddenly saw Scorpius blushing.

  
“Um…” his best friend began awkwardly. “Look, I don’t know, but when I was in here earlier… and thinking you were dead and all that,” he waved a hand dismissively, “I just saw it on your bed… and, and I just grabbed it okay?” He pulled out the hoodie from under the pillow Albus had thrown at him earlier.

  
Albus stopped. Deciding he was mostly just amused, he rubbed his hand through his hair. “That’s okay… you can keep it of you want.”

  
Scorpius frowned. “But it’s your favourite!”

  
Albus wondered how exactly Scorpius knew that. “Nah, it’s not.”

  
“Albus, are you sure? I mean I’d love to keep it, but not if you’re going to miss it?”

  
He walked over and put his hands on Scorpius’s arms. “Just keep it okay? You can totally wear it whenever you think I’m dead.” He said it jokingly, but both boys knew he was being serious, and Scorpius was deeply grateful.

  
He nodded, smiling. “Thanks.”

  
Scorpius sat for a moment, watching Albus extracting a different hoodie from his trunk. Now that lessons were over for the day he decided he may as well change too. Picking out some jeans and a sweatshirt he headed to the bathroom to change. He felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest. Added to that, Albus was (hopefully) going to be around marginally more often thanks to Slughorn. Surely these random episodes he had sometimes would start to fade, and even if he still had them occasionally at least he could just pull on Albus’s hoodie – having something real of Albus’s close at hand, that was immediately able to ground him, would be a huge help. Heading out, he was just about to ask Albus whether he wanted to start the History of Magic essay they’d been set that day, when he realised Albus had another detention that night. His heart sank.

  
“When’s your detention?” he asked casually.

  
Albus grimaced. “Six.”

  
Scorpius stopped. “Albus! What’s the time? You’re late! I’m sure it’s gone six!”

  
“Yeah, it’s ten past. I’d better get going.” Albus didn’t want Scorpius to worry. But that was always too much to ask for.

  
“Albus!” Raising a hand to his forehead Scorpius realized something. He groaned. “Albus, I’m so sorry, you’re late because of me, I shouldn’t have said anything!”

  
Albus walked over to subdue his friend. “Scorp, look at me, it’s fine! You’re more important than some bloody records that need sorting. Any day.” He smiled, trying yet again to assure Scorpius. Scorpius looked wrecked, but he nodded. He hated leaving him like this, but he really had no choice. “I’ll be back soon okay?” he said walking towards the door.

  
“Okay…” and just like that, Albus was gone, and it was back to being silent.

  
Scorpius knew he couldn’t stay in the dorm, not when he was feeling uneasy and anxious like this. He pulled on Albus’s hoodie, picked up his books, and headed out to the common room. After a few minutes, he’d reached the Slytherin hub, and seeing how busy it was, decided he’d do better in the library, - try and start that History of Magic essay.

  
As he passed the plaque outside the great hall which listed the names of the Fallen Fifty, he caught sight of a familiar face leaving from dinner.

  
“Hi Rose!” he offered, hoping this time she’d say something that wasn’t derogatory or patronising.

  
“Bye Scorpius.” Well, he could hope. She flounced away with her friends, not looking in his direction.

  
Sighing, he made a conscious effort to start thinking about the essay instead of his very confusing feelings for Albus’s cousin.

  
A good fifteen minutes and several hisses later he’d made it to the library. He chose one of his favourite tables in the History section. It was a small table, not so big he felt like he was hogging somewhere a large group of friends might like, but small enough so Albus could join if he wanted. Not that he’d be joining him tonight.  
He sat down and got out his quill.

_What contributing factors led to Grindelwald’s rise to power in the 20th century and which, in your opinion, was most preventable_?

Not his favourite topic, but he had a good plan laid out. After half an hour, just as he was starting to worry he’d run out of things to say quite soon, he was interrupted by the sight of Lily across the room, looking for somewhere to sit. Glancing around, her face lit up when she saw him, and she bounced up to his table.

  
“Hi Scorpius! Are you expecting Albus?” she smiled, reminding him of a ray of sunshine. Smiling, he realised how much she juxtaposed Albus in that respect, who these days gave off the impression of a stormcloud.

  
“No, you can sit with me!” He was happy for her company. Despite his reputation of being overly-studious he never minded being interrupted when he was working. Especially not today.

  
“I take it Al’s in another detention?”

  
“Yep, you guessed it” he rolled his eyes, internally wincing at the fake humour.

  
Lily sighed deeply, looking down. “Why is he like this Scorp? It’s like he’s determined to be in detention every night! What’s the matter with him?” She slouched back in her chair, confusion and frustration oozing out of her.

  
Scorpius leant back too. “I don’t know,” he said quietly. He wasn’t sure whether he wanted to talk about Albus or not, but talking to Lily about anything was at least better than trying to fight off his own thoughts.

  
Lily studied him, arms folded, her face full of concern.

  
“I think he just gets frustrated,” he said quickly to dispel her worrying.

  
“About _what_?”

  
Scorpius half-smiled sadly at her. “The world? Your dad? Everyone who’s ever said a mean thing about him since we started here? Which is an endless list, let me tell you.” Without wanting to be explicit about the bullying they faced, Scorpius wanted her to understand how hard it was for Albus these days. “Sometimes I worry… I worry he believes them.”

  
Lily’s eyes widened. “Why would he believe them? What do they say?”

  
He wasn’t sure how honest to be with her. He decided to play it safe. “Mostly just stuff about being a disappointment to your dad… being a squib… helping bring back the Dark Lord’s daughter… all stuff he’s heard before…”

  
“That’s awful?” Lily was looking at him with such intensity, hanging on his every word.

  
“Yeah…” he sighed. There was more, but he didn’t think it was stuff he could or even should share with Albus’s younger sister.

  
“But why now is it changing him? He was never – I mean, he was moody before…”

  
Scorpius looked up at her.

  
“Well he was, but this is different! He’s become a manic depressive!”

  
Scorpius chuckled softly. “A _what_?”

  
“Well, I don’t know, but he’s worrying me!” She met his eyes.

  
“He worries me too.”

  
“Can’t you say something Scorpius? You know what he’s going through, can’t you talk to my parents or McGonagall?”

  
“What, and have him hate me forever? Besides, what would I say? They already know we get bullied…” Scorpius cringed, he hadn’t meant to include himself in that statement. “It wouldn’t do anything.”

  
Neither said anything for a moment.

  
“What about you Scorpius?”

  
“What?”

  
“Are you okay?”

  
_Oh Merlin_ , why did she have to ask that? He felt tears in his eyes, and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep them at bay forever. Clearing his throat, he shrugged.

  
“If you ever need to talk to someone, I’m here okay?” she reached out her hand and covered Scorpius’s with it.

  
Looking down at his parchment, he tried to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat. “Thanks Lily. I appreciate that.” _No, no, no_ , a tear was making its way down his face, and dripped onto his essay. _Merlin’s sake_.

  
“Scorpius?”

  
“Yeah,” he replied thickly. “Sorry, just been a long day.”

  
“Talk to me.” She leaned forward, closing the gap between them.

  
He wiped his nose with the sleeve of Albus’s hoodie.

  
“I just want him around more. I _need_ him around more… We’ve always been in this together, I’m not sure I can do this without him… I barely see him anymore, only in lessons…” He paused. “I get kind of panicky when he’s not around, like it sends me back…”

  
Lily didn’t need to ask where Scorpius was talking about. Their parents had filled her and James in on most of what had happened when her brother and Scorpius had managed to reset time.

  
She nodded, tears clouding her own eyes. As if Scorpius came to his senses, he shook himself, wiping his tears. “Sorry!”

  
“No. Don’t apologise. Just talk to Albus.”

  
Never had he come closer to telling anyone the true extent of the bullying he and Albus were facing. The heavy truth was bursting to get out of his chest. He _needed_ to tell someone, or else he worried he’d explode.

  
“Lily, there’s more. Everyone knows that me and Albus have sort of a rough time at Hogwarts…” he wasn’t sure how to continue. He’d never said these words out loud before. He looked up at Lily, and saw she was patiently waiting for him to carry on. “But it’s got worse.” He whispered, distraught.

  
“Scorpius. Tell me.”

  
He closed his eyes for a minute, thinking. He still had no idea whether he _wanted_ to tell Lily the truth, let alone whether it was his right or not. He decided to compromise.

  
“Look, I don’t want to tell you everything, because it’s not really my place, it’s Albus’s. But I have to say _something_. The bullying, it’s gotten so much worse. It’s not just snide comments or insults anymore. People have taken it… further. The whole Time Turner thing… the Ministry never released an official statement, so all people have to go off is their own rumours. Mostly they think Albus… they think he deliberately started all this, to get back at his dad or something.”

  
Lily looked like she didn’t know how to respond. Scorpius couldn’t blame her.

  
“You have to tell someone Scorpius! You have to tell my dad! Or Hermione, then the Ministry can release a statement!”

  
Scorpius sighed. If only it were that simple. “These boys, nothing will stop them now. Picking on Albus… it’s like their high or something. They’ll never stop – they don’t care if they’re actually right or not.” He smiled sadly.

  
Silence fell then. Returning to his essay, Scorpius didn’t notice until he’d finished that Lily hadn’t moved – hadn’t even opened her books.

  
“Lily, please don’t tell your dad about this. It’s not fair to Albus.”

  
She eyed him for a moment, then begrudgingly agreed.

  
“Thanks. I should probably get back…” he stood up to leave and as he walked back to the common room, he wondered whether Lily would actually keep her word and let him and Albus deal with this in their own way, in their own time. _Great_ , he thought to himself. _I’ll add that to my list of worries_.


	2. Chapter 2

Albus looked up. Ten to ten. Thank Merlin for that, just ten more minutes until he could get back to Scorpius. It wasn’t that he hated being in detention – he honestly didn’t mind, it kept him away from the other students - but it also kept him separated from Scorpius. It hadn’t worried him at first, but since his best friend had opened up to him earlier, he was getting more and more uncomfortable about leaving Scorpius alone for long periods every evening. He hadn’t realized how much his friend had come to rely on him.

Finally Filch came shuffling over to tell him he could go, muttering something about it being a shame he couldn’t keep him longer than four hours. Albus hurried up and out of the office, eager just to get back and make sure Scorpius was alright.

He didn’t get very far. He made it almost as far as the ground floor before he felt his wand flying out of his pocket. He knew immediately that something was wrong of course, but before he could react he felt hands grabbing him and pulling him roughly into the now infamous first floor girl’s bathroom. He tried to resist, but there were at least five boys around him.

“What- stop! Let me go!” Arms were wrapped around his, he was being pulled backwards roughly. _Not again, please_.

“Uh-uh. No. Not until we’ve beat some sense into you, you disgusting little squib.” He heard an unfamiliar voice taunt.

He was pushed violently onto the wet tiled floor of the bathroom, and before he knew it the gang of faceless figures were kicking the life out of him. He was winded from the very first blow, but the hits just kept on coming. He couldn’t see what was going on, just pairs of legs surrounding him, he didn’t know what to do, except curl up and try to protect his aching body. At some point a foot connected with his face, and he tasted blood suddenly in his mouth. Spitting it out desperately for fear of choking, he groaned and rolled over. They seemed to have stopped. At last.

“We’ll never forgive you for what you did, you absolute piece of shit. We get it, you hate your dad. Run away. Kill yourself for all we care. But what gives you the right to try and destroy the world?”

Whoever was talking spat in his face. Albus wasn’t looking at anywhere except the floor in front of him where he lay, scared that if he moved or protested it would just antagonise them. So he just lay there, taking it.

“That goes for you boyfriend too. The pair of you don’t belong here. You never will. Not in Slytherin, not in Hogwarts. You’re evil. Just go and kill yourselves.”

Suddenly Albus heard the muttering of a spell and then suddenly a blinding light filled his vision, at the same time he felt an excruciating burning pain spark in his arm. He couldn’t help but yell out.

“Please..” he didn’t know how to finish that sentence, he was just begging.

“Maybe this will teach you a lesson.” The boy threw down Albus’s wand next to him as he left, laughing with the rest of his cronies.

All Albus could feel was the pain in his arm – it reminded him of when the time turner broke his arm last year, only this was worse. He didn’t know whether he could face even getting up right now. What in _Merlin’s_ name was he going to do now?

Pulling himself together mentally he assessed the situation. Apart from his arm, what else was hurt? His face was aching like hell from where they’d kicked him, and blood was still spilling out of his mouth and nose. Other than that (and the throbbing he felt in his chest and torso), he seemed reasonably okay. He laughed a little at that, then immediately regretted it as the pain it flared up in his ribs. He felt suddenly sick, which wasn’t helped by the knowledge that at some point he was going to have to get up and out of this mess. He couldn’t just wait for someone to find him.

Quickly deciding that the pain in his arm was going nowhere and that the sooner he reached the hospital wing, the better, he sat up gingerly, moving as little as possible, and leaning against the cold tiled wall for support. He saw there were bloodstains where he’d been lying, and then his heart stopped. He’d spotted his wand, lying broken, clean in two, on the wet floor.

Those bastards. They’d snapped it. Completely. It was irreparable. It was then that Albus first felt the sting of tears behind his eyes.

 _No. Don’t let them break you_.

He’d get a new wand, no big deal. Besides, he’d only had that one for a year since Delphi had snapped his first one. It was fine. _Don’t let them break you_.

With his arm still burning agonisingly, he slowly slid up the wall, and limped over to scoop up the fragments of the wand. Thankfully, he was at least on the right side of the castle for the hospital wing. He roughly wiped some of the blood off his face with his good arm, and started the agonising journey. Thankfully at this time of night most students were already in their common rooms. He guessed he only had a few minutes until curfew.

Whatever. He wasn’t going to make it.

As if his thoughts had been announced to the entire world, he caught sight of a figure approaching. Great. He was looking down, holding onto the wall for support, but he thought it didn’t look like a professor at least.

“Hey!” said an authoritative voice, catching sight of him.

Albus knew the voice. He didn’t need to look up – instead he just wanted the ground to swallow him up right there to avoid having to deal with his brother.

It was just his luck that James had to be on duty tonight, patrolling just the place Albus was trying to be invisible in.

He didn’t look up or answer. James would realise it was him when he got closer.

“Hey, are you..” James paused in confusion, then… “ _Albus_?!”

Bingo. James was right in front of him now, putting his hands on Albus to steady him. Albus didn’t want to look up at his brother, he didn’t want to be seen like this.

“Albus…? What the hell happened?”

“Nothing. I’m fine James…” he tried shoving past him, with very little success, as James was bigger, and at this particular time, much stronger than Albus was. Trying a new tactic, Albus hardened his face, and looked straight at James. “James! I’m fine, I’m already going to the hospital wing, you can leave me alone now.” His tone was cold, hoping to offend his brother with his bluntness. As if that would work however.

“Albus. Stop. I’m not leaving you until you tell me what the fuck happened.” He searched Albus’s face, demanding to be looked at. Albus however was determinedly looking down again, and his hair fell into his face, where there was blood smeared down one side. No wonder James hadn’t recognised him from further away. Albus had caught a glimpse of himself in one of the bathroom mirrors, and he knew he was practically unrecognisable right now. Bruises were forming over his face, and he was cradling one arm incredibly softly.

“Who did this to you?”

Albus smirked. “Who says anyone’s done this to me?”

“I do,” James’s voice was firm now, that Prefect authority coming into play.

Albus groaned. He was losing patience now. Trust James to be so desperate to show his chivalrous, Gryffindor side that he couldn’t even see that all Albus wanted to do was get to the hospital wing before he passed out.

“Can we just get to the hospital wing already?” Albus was glaring at James. “I’m really in quite a lot of pain.”

Worry flitted over James’s face, which only annoyed Albus even more. However, he didn’t object when James said “Of course,” and put his arm round Albus’s back to help.

Albus hated being reliant on his brother. He hated feeling weak and vulnerable, but he didn’t really have a choice right now, so he just grit his teeth and bared it, trying not to snap at James.

“Don’t think you’ve dodged the question bro.” James said as he half carried, half dragged Albus up the next flight of stairs.

“Don’t think you’ll get an answer…”

James grinned. Albus could have retorted angrily as he was expecting, but instead chose humour. Something swelled inside his chest. Pride? He hadn’t felt so strongly for his brother in a long time. In fact, he couldn’t remember the last time. The thought immediately saddened him that they hadn’t connected in so long.

After a few more minutes of walking, made painful to Albus both by his injuries and also James’s constant reassurances that he was doing great and they were almost there, they made it to the doors of the hospital wing. James pushed it open with his foot and helped Albus over the threshold.

“Madam Pomfrey, my brother’s hurt-“ he called, but Pomfrey was already coming towards them.

“Onto the bed dear,” she said, directing them to an empty bedspace.

Albus sat quickly, stumbling and almost falling when James let go of him.

James thought they were probably just in time. 

“Lay back dear…” Pomfrey was saying as she summoned various potions over.

“My arm…” Albus groaned, trying not to sound too much like a Mandrake, especially in front of his brother.

Pomfrey placed her hands on his arm, examining it. Her face darkened.

“What’s wrong with it?” Albus asked, seeing this.

Pomfrey quickly regained herself, “Nothing I can’t fix. It’s broken, that’s for sure. I’d prefer to knock you out to fully mend it.” Well that didn’t sit right. He knew if it was simply a broken bone it would only take seconds for her to heal. James seemed to be thinking along the same lines. The two brothers shared a look.

“Drink this,” she said handing him a potion. He hesitated before taking it. “It’s just a painkilling potion, you’ll need to change first. I’m afraid you’ll be here for the night Potter.”

Albus took the potion. The pain in his arm slowly lessened, but it was still incredibly painful.

“Pyjamas” she muttered, placing them on the bed and casting him a look that told him to get changed. She motioned to James to step outside and drew the curtains behind her.

He knew she’d be asking James what had happened. Albus sighed, changing into the pyjama pants. He’d keep his hoodie on, thank you very much. After a while, James entered.

Awkward.

“Do you need me to get you anything?” James asked with real concern in his eyes. The question did nothing to dispel the tension though.

“Um, can you just let Scorpius know where I am? He’ll know what to bring me in the morning.” He paused as James nodded. “And you can tell him I’m _fine_!” he said, knowing James would probably scare Scorpius to death if he told him the truth.

James shot him an incredulous look. “You know…” he began awkwardly. “I’m supposed to get you to talk before she knocks you out.”

Albus looked up at him. “Well good luck.” He turned resolutely to look away from his brother.

“Al. I mean, Albus” James quickly corrected himself, “she’s not the only one who’ll want to know. McGonagall, mum and dad, they’ll all want answers. You may as well just give in already,” he grinned, trying to get Albus to budge.

“Nice try James, but give up already. I’m fine, people need to just stop worrying already!”

“Are you serious right now?” James sounded angry. Great. Despite being constantly pissed at his brother, now Albus felt guilty too. _Add it to the list_ , he thought.

James shook his head as if he was going to continue, but thought better of it, for which Albus was grateful.

“Can you just go and tell Scorpius now please?” That came out harsher than he’d meant it. He knew he should probably thank James for helping him, even if it was only to prove how great he was – the perfect Gryffindor, the perfect older brother. Whatever. He wasn’t going to thank him.

James huffed and shook his head again, an ironic smile briefly appearing on his face. “Fine. Get well soon.” And he left.

A moment later Pomfrey came in with another potion. “Ready when you are Potter.”


	3. Chapter 3

Scorpius was curled up his favourite squashy armchair. It wasn’t as close to the fire as he’d like, but only the popular kids got those seats, and he’d sort of made his mark on this one. Especially since he’d been filling it so often lately, alone. He could however, still feel some warmth, and it was light enough that he was able to read comfortably. He was so absorbed in _Hogwarts: A History, Vol. 2_ , that he was unpleasantly startled back to reality by a seventh year he’d never spoken to before yelling “Oi Malfoy, get over here!”. Looking over at him cautiously, he saw he was gesturing to the portrait hole. Unwilling in case this was some stunt, he slowly untangled himself and crossed the common room to discover James Potter stood outside. He frowned, stepping outside to meet him.

“Thanks Montague,” James muttered to the boy who’d got called Scorpius over.

“James? What’s wrong?” He was confused, unlike Lily, who he had a great relationship with, he’d rarely actually spoken to James. Immediately it worried him. “Is this about Albus?”

“Um… yeah, it is actually.”

Scorpius’s stomach felt like it had dropped down to Australia. “Is he okay?”

“He’s in the Hospital Wing.”

“ _What_?”

“Look, calm down, he’s fine… he told me to tell you he’s fine.”

Scorpius couldn’t believe this. “What happened James? Tell me!”

And slowly, James filled him in.

“Is he okay?!” Scorpius demanded, horrified, when James had finished.

“I dunno Scorp, physically, yeah I think he’ll be fine... Anyway, he just told me to tell you where he is, and that you’d know what to bring him in the morning.”

Scorpius’s heart sank, realising he was going to have to go back to the dormitory and face a sleepless night without Albus. He thanked James and prayed he wouldn’t have another panic attack in Albus’s absence. Thankfully however it seemed he was all panicked out for the day, and he managed to keep a sane headspace as he trundled, distraught, to bed.

* * *

Scorpius cast a quick glance over the room. He was fairly sure he had everything Albus would want. He didn’t want to have to come back.

It was far too early, and Scorpius had not been able to sleep a wink last night.

When it reached 4:30am he figured he could probably get up and shower, just for something to do. Technically, students weren’t allowed out of the common rooms until 5:30 (and he only knew this because he was a massive geek), but he thought that surely no one would care even if he was discovered.

And so he now walked purposefully out of the dormitory, happy he had everything Albus might want. He just needed to see Albus now. He needed to touch him, to _feel_ he was okay. He was of course still wearing Albus’s hoodie for reassurance – he had been all night – but it wasn’t enough. After a few minutes of gloriously hiss-free walking, he finally reached the hospital wing. He pushed the door, but found it locked. He could have cursed himself. He knew a lot about Hogwarts, mainly from _Hogwarts: A History_ , but he was sure he’d never read what time the hospital wing opened in the morning. Deciding it couldn’t wait, he withdrew his wand, whispered _Alohomora_ , and slipped inside. The first bedspace seemed most likely to be Albus’s, so Scorpius silently peered around the divider, and immediately was flooded with relief at the sight of his best friend lying there.

Albus was still asleep, and he looked so peaceful. It was as if nothing had happened and they were back to their carefree years pre-Delphi. Well, maybe they hadn’t been care-free exactly, but they were sure as heck better than they were now.

Sinking into a chair beside Albus, Scorpius suddenly felt overwhelmingly tired. He rested his head beside Albus on the bed, and fell asleep before he even knew it.

* * *

Albus woke up feeling very groggy. His arm was still incredibly sore, but by Merlin it felt better than it did yesterday. He hoped whatever Madam Pomfrey had needed to do was over now and had worked. Opening his eyes, he was surprised to find an unconscious Scorpius looking like he was about to slide onto the floor. He couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

“Scorpius!” he whispered, shaking his friend.

“What?” Scorpius’s head immediately shot up. He probably thought he’d been discovered by Madame Pomfrey and was about to be kicked out.

“Shh, it’s only me! How long have you been here?”

Scorpius’s mouth was being pulled slowly up into a grin. “Albus! Oh I’m so glad you’re okay! You are okay aren’t you? I mean you look okay! Oh Albus, I was so worried, James didn’t say what happened…”

Albus let his friend ramble, adoring the way his eyes lit up when they met his own, and the way he fumbled around nervously, falling over his words.

“I’m fine, Scorp. Seriously.” He searched his friend’s face, looking again for confirmation he’d successfully reassured him. Scorpius didn’t seem convinced.

“But what happened?” his brow was furrowed in sleepy confusion.

Albus sighed, but he didn’t want to keep this from Scorpius. “Honestly, I don’t really know. All I know is I’m walking back from detention, then on the first floor some guys jump me and start beating me up in Myrtle’s bathroom.”

Scorpius was fixed on him. Albus could see the anger behind his eyes.

“It’s okay Scorp.”

“No. No it’s not. It’s really not.”

Oh no, there were tears in Scorpius’s eyes. He was perfectly reflecting how Albus was feeling.

“This is so unfair. You don’t deserve this Albus. I’m so sorry.”

“Scorpius! Why are you sorry?”

Scorpius just shrugged in response, looking away.

“Look, it is what it is. We only have two more years at Hogwarts. Once we’re out of here, things will get better!” he tried desperately to comfort his friend.

“But why should it?” Scorpius frowned, anger seeping through. “Why do you have to wait two years to actually start living your life? Why… just why?” Scorpius had reached his limit. Standing up, he ran his hands through his hair, the exhaustion and worry of the past 24 hours finally overwhelming him. He started pacing.

“Scorp…”

“I’m so done with this. I’m done with being helpless, of watching on as you get more and more tormented, of just taking it every time someone trips us, or hexes us, or curses us… this time you get beat up, but what happens next time? Because there will be a next time Albus! I don’t know about you, but I’m terrified walking down these corridors. I’m constantly worried I’ll bump into the wrong crowd, or be snuck up upon, and if I’m not worrying for my own safety, I’m worrying about you, wondering where you are in the castle, hoping you’re okay. And yesterday you weren’t. You’re not. Neither of us are.” Tears were streaming now, it looked like every word was costing him. He took a shaky breath, turning to Albus. “I have to say something Albus. I’m sorry, I have to. I know it won’t do anything, but at least people will know. Our parents, they should know. Maybe they could actually help. Maybe they’ll go easier on you. Maybe you won’t get so many detentions, maybe I won’t be left on my own so much… Maybe…” A sob wracked his body.

“Scorpius…” Albus was stunned. He knew he’d got off lightly yesterday when Scorpius had seemed unusually composed. He had clearly been bottling all of this up. His heart sank for his friend, right through the floor.

Scorpius ceased pacing, walking over and sitting back down beside Albus, trying to regain some sort of control. He put his head between his arms on Albus’s bed, but looked up when he felt Albus’s hand on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry Albus. I can’t do this anymore. Maybe you can… and that’s great, but I’m sorry, I can’t. I know it’s selfish… but I can’t do this…”

Albus looked at his friend, at a loss by this outburst. He had no idea the effect their predicament was having on Scorpius. He presumed since he’d handled the brunt of the abuse that things were easier for Scorpius. Obviously, he was wrong. He looked at his friend as if for the first time in months.

“It’s okay” he whispered. “I’m sorry. We’ll figure it out.” He didn’t know what else to say, so he just started rubbing Scorpius’s back.

He’d managed to convince himself that things were fine, and then Scorpius had entered and blown his world up, ripping off the blindfold he’d created for himself, forcing him to see what had become of his life. Though what Scorpius said scared him, he knew he had to let his friend do what he needed. Maybe it was time to come clean to their parents after all.

Scorpius’s breathing was still hitched as he rested his head next to Albus’s side. It was a long while before Madam Pomfrey entered and Scorpius had his breathing back under control.

Although she was initially surprised to see Scorpius there, Madam Pomfrey refrained from scolding the pair of them. There was a knowing look on her face Albus thought, as she told him he’d have to stay in the hospital wing for the rest of the day and gave him some more painkilling potion.

Scorpius wanted to skip breakfast, and though Albus was hungry, he wasn’t about to ask him to go and get them something. They lay together for what seemed like a long while, and Albus assumed his friend was actually sleeping, though with his head resting on his arms he couldn’t be sure. He wished he could cast a Tempus charm. Scorpius was going to be late for class. Then he noticed Scorpius was actually wearing a watch, and it was awkward, but he made out that it was 8:45.

“Scorpius.”

“Hmm?” he didn’t stir.

“It’s 8:45. Do you feel like going to lessons today?” Albus never thought that was a question he’d have to ask in a non-sarcastic way.

“For the first time in my life, I really don’t.” He still hadn’t moved. The words were muffled as he spoke into his arms. Finally he looked up. “I’m not even changed” he mumbled, looking down at his – Albus’s – hoodie and jeans.

“That’s okay, you can stay and keep me company,” Albus replied brightly, praying Madam Pomfrey wouldn’t give them any grief over it. If she had any sense she wouldn’t question the redness of his friend’s eyes, the tear streaks or the ruffled hair.

Scorpius reached down absent-mindedly and pulled up the bag full of stuff he’d brought for Albus. “Here…”

“Thanks” Albus replied, bumping Scorpius’s arm. Scorpius managed to grin back, but it took a lot of effort.

“It’s just clothes… sweets… you know.”

“Sweet,” Albus said, pulling out a chocolate frog and handing one to Scorpius.

Scorpius pulled his legs up onto the chair, curling up in a blanket, munching the chocolate. “In all seriousness, are you okay Albus?” Now that he’d pulled himself together somewhat Scorpius was ready to have a proper conversation about this.

“Yeah, I think. Madam Pomfrey looked weird yesterday though when she saw my arm. She said it was broken, but that she couldn’t fix it like normal? I dunno, it was weird.”

“How did your arm get broken?” Scorpius’s frown tugged on Albus’s heartstrings.

“One of the guys kicking me did some spell I think. I don’t know, he did something, and suddenly my arm felt like it exploded.”

“Hmm. I’ve never heard of a spell like that before…”

Albus sat back. He’d hoped Scorpius might have some clue what they could have done. “Also… Scorpius, they did something else.” He didn’t want to scare his already fragile friend right now, but as he remembered he was overcome with sadness, and he wanted to tell him.

Scorpius sat forwards, concerned. _What now?_

Albus pulled out the shards of his wand from under the pillow where he’d hidden them.

Scorpius looked at them for a moment, his eyes full of sympathy. “Albus,” he breathed. “I’m so sorry.”

Albus swallowed. “It’s okay, I didn’t have it very long, it’s just annoying you know, now I’m going to have to tell Dad I need a new one.”

Scorpius looked at him sympathetically. “I think he’ll just be grateful they went for the wand instead of your neck.”

“Huh.” Albus groaned, remembering. “I expect he’ll come to visit today won’t he?”

“I think he will.”

“Why does the school have to owl home whenever you get admitted to the hospital wing?” he rolled his eyes.

“Um, probably because most parents care about their children, Albus.” Scorpius chided his friend. He was the only one who could get away with saying Harry cared about Albus without being immediately dismissed, and he knew it.

“Hmfph, doesn’t make it any less awkward though does it?”

They continued like this for a little while, talking about trivial things, until Scorpius suggested Albus start writing the History of Magic essay that was now due tomorrow.

“Are you kidding?” Albus asked incredulously as Scorpius pulled out the school work from his own bag. He begrudgingly agreed, for the simple reason that he didn’t want to do it that evening. Although he did insist on reading Scorpius’s first, to which his best friend just grinned, knowing that was coming.

Looking up to ask a question, Albus saw Scorpius had fallen asleep again, head tucked up on his knees, wrapped up in a blanket all cosy looking.

What had he done to his friend? This was all his fault. Of course it was, everything came back to the fact that if he hadn’t wanted to get one over on his father by saving Cedric, none of this would have happened. Well, they’d still be getting bullied of course, but it would never have escalated this far. It seemed Scorpius could deal with the hisses and ‘Son of Voldemort’ shouts, but not seeing Albus being hacked up.

Deep down of course, Albus couldn’t blame him, he knew what he’d be like if any of those scumbags dared to touch _his_ best friend. He’d want to rip them apart. Scorpius however didn’t have a violent bone in his body, so he was just letting the situation tear him apart.

He was roused from his stupor by the sounds of familiar voices outside in the hall. Sure enough, the doors burst open and in came striding his dad.

“Albus? Albus, are you okay?”

“I’m fine dad,” he rushed to answer, not wanting his dad to wake Scorpius.

Ginny was right behind Harry, which immediately made Albus feel better. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to deal with his father on his own just yet. He noticed Ginny put a refraining hand on Harry’s arm. Then to Albus’s surprise, Draco followed them in.

“Albus, we were so worried. What happened?” his mum asked gently.

Albus cast a glance at his friend before answering. “It was no big deal, I don’t really wanna talk about it right now.”

Scorpius was waking up. He looked around blearily at the sudden influx of people. The room went quiet as everyone watched – at least to Albus it did anyway.

“Dad?” He was thoroughly confused. “Um, I’m sorry Mr. and Mrs. Potter, do you want me to go? I should go.”

“Don’t be silly Scorpius,” Ginny answered sweetly. “It looks like you’ve been here for Albus when we couldn’t.”

Albus was grateful his parents were being distracted from the matter at hand.

“Not really…” Scorpius mumbled, even though it couldn’t have been further from the truth.

“Thank you, Scorpius,” Harry chided in, looking serious.

Scorpius flushed, desperately hoping he looked more composed than he had earlier. He may have had his issues with Harry in the past, but he was still Harry Potter, and Scorpius still fangirled a little deep down.

“What are you doing here?” he asked his father, still confused whether he’d done something wrong.

“Madam Pomfrey saw fit to owl me, Scorpius. And I’m glad she did, she seemed to think you needed a parent right now.”

Scorpius blushed in embarrassment. _Merlin_ , had she overheard _everything_?

After an awkward silence where no one really knew what to say Scorpius looked over to Albus. “Do you want to tell them or shall I?”

Albus flushed almost unnoticeably but sighed. He wasn’t sure he could do it.

“You’d better, I think.”

He looked at Scorpius, trying to convey everything in a heartbeat.

Scorpius found himself addressing Ginny. Taking a deep breath, he realised he had the undivided attention of everyone in the room. “Albus was attacked last night.”

Harry looked away, trying to suppress whatever emotion he was feeling right now. Ginny kept looking resolutely at Scorpius. Draco’s grip on his shoulder tightened. Albus was just looking down at his bedsheets.

Suddenly realizing he didn’t actually know many more details, Scorpius glanced at Albus, before returning his gaze to Ginny. “And this wasn’t the first time either. It’s just the first time he’s had to admit himself to the hospital wing.” This was going to be hard, but he couldn’t stop now. “Ever since last year with the time turner thing, the kind of threats we got before became much more… real. This is the third time Albus has been attacked since Christmas.” His voice broke.

Ginny’s emotions finally seemed to be getting the better of her. “Is this true Albus? Why didn’t you tell us?” She tried to keep the accusation out of her voice, opting instead simply to comfort.

Choosing to turn his emotions off, Albus looked up, his face hard. It would be much easier to sound so rude if it was his dad asking the questions. “Why _would_ I tell you? There’s nothing you can do.”

Then his dad decided to pipe up. “Albus, there’s _plenty_ we can do! I’m the _Head of Magical Law Enforcement_ …”

Ginny once again placed a hand on Harry’s knee to caution him. “Your dad’s right Albus, now that we know what’s been going on you won’t have to deal with this anymore.”

“Right.” Albus gritted his teeth. He looked at Scorpius. Now it was his turn to fess up. “Don’t let Scorpius fool you,” he said, looking around mainly to Draco. “He’s had stuff happen before too-“

“Albus,” Scorpius cut him off, looking up.

“Scorpius. I think we’d better excuse ourselves.” Draco said sternly, making it clear for Scorpius to follow him.

Albus looked at his friend apologetically as Scorpius ruefully untangled himself from his blanket and followed his father down the hospital wing to a bed that offered some privacy from the Potter clan.

“Dad…” Scorpius began, taking a seat on the bed.

“Scorpius, I need you to be straight with me. I can see that things are…” he searched for the right word, “…bad. But please, tell me how bad. At least do me that courtesy.”

Scorpius couldn’t help his eyes filling with tears.

“Whatever is going on, I want to be able to help you son. Please.”

He took a breath, trying to think of the right words to say. “It’s just Albus!” he let out. “I’m so worried about him all the time, and I never get to see him anymore.” He was making a conscious effort to talk slower than usual, to make sure it came out right. Whether he was successful or not he couldn’t tell. “He’s been going downhill since Delphi, and I guess I’m not dealing with it very well.”

“Okay… how’s he been going downhill?” Draco prompted.

Scorpius sniffed. He was ruining Albus’s favourite hoodie. Fantastic. He surprised himself at how bitter he felt. “Well you probably know he’s been having issues in lessons… he never gets the work done on time, or he puts minimal effort into it… he’s often late, he’s surly… so he’s always being given detentions, practically every day… I hate not seeing him as much. When he’s not around, I start to panic. Dad, something happens to me, and I can’t breathe, and I just think I’m back in that other reality where he was dead and Voldemort ruled… which is ridiculous, I can’t get like that whenever Albus isn’t with me! But that is what’s happening.” He broke off suddenly, realizing he was probably speaking too quickly again, and waited for his dad’s response.

His dad was silent for a moment. “You know,” he began, “when I met your mother, I was so afraid she’d never take me on. After the war… I was wracked with guilt. It consumed me. Everything I’d done… I couldn’t escape it. I was in a dark place Scorpius, and I was terrified Astoria would leave me. It wasn’t fair to expect of her what I needed.”

“What did you need?” Scorpius whispered, locking his eyes onto his dad’s.

Draco smiled at his son. “A light? Someone to show me the way, a beacon. Someone to hold me in the night. Sometimes in the day too. Someone to tell me that everything would be alright when I started to disassociate. The man I am now… is not the man I’ve always been. You know this. I was broken, but she fixed me. I owe it all to her…”

Scorpius let out a sob, and Draco enveloped him in the most wonderful, embracing hug. He just sat there, crying in his father’s arms. “I miss her…”

“I know son.” Draco spoke into Scorpius’s hair. “I know.” He pressed a firm kiss into the top of his son’s head.

After a few long minutes, when Scorpius had exhausted his tears, he pulled away. “So what do I do?” he asked his dad.

“You find Albus. You tell him how you feel. And he’ll be there. He’ll be your… light in the darkness.”


	4. Chapter 4

Later that afternoon found a drained Scorpius back in his blanket next to an agitated Albus.

“Albus, _please_ , chill.”

Albus grinned sheepishly. “Sorry. But how long is she going to take?”

Scorpius frowned.

“It’s been aaaaages!”

“Yes I _know_ Albus. But getting worked up about it won’t speed her up.” Scorpius replied reasonably.

“Pfft. There’s no way you can prove that.”

Scorpius grinned.

They were both anxiously awaiting Madam Pomfrey’s return from speaking to Albus’s parents in the Headmistress’s office. They’d been assured that as long as Albus’s arm wasn’t feeling painful anymore they could be released when she got back. Albus was itching to get out of the hospital wing. Aside from being embarrassing, it was also just so _boring_ lying in bed all day when he felt absolutely fine. Luckily, they didn’t have to wait much longer, as Pomfrey came striding over not five minutes later, instructing Albus sternly that he was to rest his arm.

“Brilliant!” he turned, grinning to Scorpius. “You ready mate?”

“Am I ready? Hmm.. let me think about that!” he replied cheekily, almost back to his usual self. Whatever Draco had said to him earlier seemed to have done the trick.

Albus was already changed in his own clothes, so he scooped up his bag on the way out, meeting his parents in the hallway.

“Okay Albus, we’re off, _please_ owl us if anything comes up,” Ginny said, embracing her youngest son.

“I will,” Albus mumbled into the hug.

“Bye Albus” his dad said, pulling him into his own hug. “Look after yourself.”

“See you later” Albus acknowledged his parents, as Scorpius said goodbye to his own dad. “C’mon Scorp, I’m starving.”

They set off together towards the Great Hall, waving a last goodbye to their respective parents.

Albus took a large sniff of the air as they walked. “Freedom…”

Scorpius chuckled. “I don’t know what I’m more excited about, freedom, or a full roast dinner…”

“ _That_ , is a good question. Food!” and like that his stomach gave a loud rumble. They were rather early for dinner, so most students were still in classes. Both boys enjoyed the quiet walk, knowing that the Great Hall would also be relatively empty, save those older students who had free periods.

Dinner did not disappoint. Albus really was hungry, and he knew that Scorpius must be too. The delicious array of roast lambs, all kinds of potatoes, carrots, peas, parsnips, stuffing, gravy and every other kind of side dish they could possibly desire did wonders for their battered morales. Despite the turmoil of the day, and the shame of being ‘outed’ to his parents, Albus was just happy to be with Scorpius, away from over-protective and concerned adults. He could almost forget that things weren’t quite okay.

“So how were things with _your_ dad?” Albus asked curiously as he loaded up a second plate of food.

Scorpius seemed to think for a moment, and Albus knew he needed a minute to find the right words. “They were good, actually. Really good. We talked about some things.”

Albus decided to be brave. “Like what?”

Scorpius smiled, loving that Albus had asked. “He mentioned my mum. It made me feel better. He told me what she would think, and what I should do.”

Albus grinned, happy for his friend. He loved feeling so genuinely happy again. “That’s great Scor!”

“I know!” Scorpius sheepishly looked down, embarrassed but liking talking about Astoria. He knew Albus found it difficult to brooch the subject, but harboured no resentment towards his best friend about it. If Albus lost a parent, he was pretty sure he’d be awful at talking about it to him, too. “I love it when Dad mentions her.”

“What did he say?” Catching himself, Albus blushed. “You don’t have to answer that if it’s too personal!”

“It’s okay! Um… he said it was Mum who helped him after the war, that she helped fix him. Not that I didn’t know that before… but it was in a different context this time, you know?”

Scorpius’s eyes shone with happy memories of his mother, but Albus was confused. “A different context?” He prompted.

“Yeah…” Scorpius looked at him, stared straight into those forest-green eyes, trying to see whether Albus was understanding what he was trying to say. He couldn’t see any sign that he did. All that stared back was love and confusion.

He waved a hand dismissively, conveying to Albus that it didn’t matter. Thankfully, Albus nodded, though the smallest of frowns remained on his face.

“Do you have another detention tonight?” he asked, although he already knew the answer.

“ _Actually_ , I have some news about that,” Albus replied, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

If Scorpius hadn’t been so focused on admiring the sight, he’d have realised how long it had been since he’d seen Albus like this. He raised his eyebrows, waiting for Albus to continue.

“Dad talked to McGonagall. Apparently I’ve been cleared of all the detentions I’ve worked up!”

“ _What_?” Scorpius grinned in disbelief. “Why? Because they feel sorry for you?”

Albus shrugged. “I guess.”

Scorpius knew it was also partly due to the fact that Albus was of course Harry Potter’s son, but he felt no grievances about that. In fact, he couldn’t stop smiling. It was embarrassing, and entirely contrasting his mood from yesterday and earlier this morning. He immediately tried to hide his grin, but he needn’t have bothered and he knew it. Albus knew how he felt. “That’s amazing.” He replied quietly. The thought of having Albus around every night from now on made the world seem a much less scary place. He felt like someone had cast _Wingardium Leviosa_ on him.

“Yeah, it is” Albus agreed. “Come on, let’s get back to the dorm before the whole school gets here,” he glanced around at the slowly filling Hall.

As the pair stood up and made their way down to the Slytherin common room, Scorpius was seized by a sudden desire to reach out and grab Albus’s hand. The thought confused him at first. That wasn’t normal for friends, right? Instead he settled on just grabbing Albus’s sleeve and hanging onto his arm. Totally platonic. He smiled at his own mastery.

Instead of taking a seat in the common room, they walked straight through to their dormitory, both looking forward to the privacy it would offer, knowing the other boys would be at dinner, or would be soon.

“You know,” Albus began, collapsing onto his own bed with a groan, “I’m pretty sure my dad had nothing to do with getting my detentions cancelled.”

Scorpius sat on the edge of his own bed, cross-legged, watching Albus. “What do you mean? You think it was your mum?”

Albus looked over at the fragile-looking figure across from him, trying not to be insensitive. “No, Scorpius. It wasn’t either of my parents. I think it was your dad.”

That seemed to set Scorpius back. “ _My_ dad? But why…? Oh.” He was silent for a minute.

Albus could almost feel his friend cringing.

“ _Salazar_ , do you suppose every single teacher now thinks I have some kind of attachment disorder?” Scorpius spoke softly, looking down.

“Hey.” Albus got up and crossed the space between them, sitting next to Scorpius. He saw Scorpius blushing, but he didn’t care. He intended to say something comforting, but as soon as he tried he realised he had no idea what to say.

“Sorry,” Scorpius mumbled, still staring at the floor.

“Merlin Scorp, why are you apologising? You just released me from a good two weeks’ worth of detentions?”

Scorpius smiled half-heartedly. Then, after a moment, “Is there something wrong with me?”

Albus sighed. “No Scorp.” He wished Scorpius would look at him. “There is absolutely, one hundred percent, nothing wrong with you. Anyone would be the same if they’d gone through what you have.” He paused. “You probably just need time.”

Scorpius nodded slowly. “Do you know what my dad also told me?” He was so quiet, so wrapped up in inner turmoil, Albus could tell every word was being carefully thought out.

“What?”

Scorpius opened his mouth, stopped, then shook his head. “Forget it, it doesn’t matter.”

“Tell me.”

Scorpius shifted so he was facing Albus on the bed, and finally looked at him. Albus found himself lost in his best friend’s eyes. Wow, they were beautiful. The grey granite sparkled with shards of ice, but the effect was far from cold. It reminded Albus of a snowstorm, like there was a whole other world going on inside Scorpius’s irises.

“He told me to talk to you. That mum was his light in the darkness, and that’s what I needed too. A… light in the darkness.”

Mentally shaking himself, Albus teared his gaze away from Scorpius’s eyes. But then were should he look? They really were very distracting. His lips? _Merlin_ , no. He tried to pull himself together to focus on what Scorpius was saying. He cleared his throat. It didn’t help that Scorpius was being so cryptic. “You can always talk to me Scorpius.”

Scorpius looked truly pained. Suddenly Albus was worried something was happening to him. He frowned, shaking his head again, and his eyes crinkled in frustration. He looked like he was steeling himself for something.

“Scorp? Are you-“

But he was broken off by the sudden soft impact of Scorpius’s lips on his. He froze in shock. _What in Slytherin’s name was happening_? Well, Scorpius was kissing him. It was gentle, but passionate. Albus became aware that Scorpius’s hand was gripping his arm, and he felt a desperation in his best friend that he’d certainly never experienced before. Before he could register more than this though, Scorpius had broken off. Realising he was breathing rather more heavily than normal, Albus just watched as Scorpius hid his face and immediately turned away from him on the bed.

“I’m sorry. Albus, I’m so sorry…” Was he crying?

“Scorpius” Albus breathed. After a minute, he found his voice. “Come back.”

When Scorpius turned his head reluctantly back to look at him, Albus grabbed his face with both hands and brought them back together, enjoying every moment of whatever this was. He took in the feel of Scorpius’s lips against his, his hair beneath his fingertips. He got lost in his smell, his scent, his hot breath against his neck when they paused for air. For a minute they just sat leaning against each other, neither wanting to pull away, neither knowing what to say.

“Albus?”

“Shh” This was too confusing. He didn’t want to say anything to mess it up. But neither was he about to end the scene. He just lay back on Scorpius’s bed, pulling Scorpius down with him. Somehow Scorpius ended up lying beside Albus with his head on Albus’s chest, Albus’s arm wrapped protectively around his best friend. Albus closed his eyes, but not before pulling the hangings shut around them. They lay like that for a long time, both the most content they’d been in a long while, until, one after the other, they fell into a restful sleep that for once, didn’t feel like an escape – more of a necessary evil.


End file.
